Steph Curry Never Forgot His Mom’s Best Advice
One of the best basketball players of his generation, Steph Curry has excelled in his career. But he hasn’t always felt on top of the world. There were times when Curry thought he’d never make it. However, throughout the good times and the bad, he’s been lucky to have the support of his parents to help.
His mom, in particular, once gave him advice that would push Curry to succeed. It turned his life around and encouraged him to put his best foot forward. In fact, the advice is so good, it may just inspire you.
At 13, Steph Curry thought his basketball career was over
At the age of 13, Curry received advice from his mom that would change his life. It came after his team lost an AAU National Championship game.
Curry explained in a guest post for The Players Tribune, “We lost badly, and I played worse,” he wrote.
The loss was a terrible blow for Curry, who felt like it was a reflection of his basketball skills. “I had finally gotten the chance that I’d been waiting for, all year,” Curry wrote, “to measure myself up…. and I fell short. Way short. It really felt like a wake-up call. It felt like this moment of truth — where there was only one possible lesson to take away: that I just wasn’t good enough.”
The best advice Steph Curry ever received
The championship game was a big deal in young Curry’s life. His father was a professional basketball star, and young Curry felt like he couldn’t even compete with other 13 year-olds. It was a massive blow to his self-esteem. But at that time of great disappointment, he had his mother‘s support to fall back on. Once they returned to their hotel room after the game, she gave him advice that he’d never forget.
“NO ONE gets to write your story but you,” his mother said. “Not some scouts. Not some tournament. Not these other kids, who might do this better or that better. And not EVER your last name. None of those people, and none of those things, gets to be the author of your story. Just you. So think real hard about it. Take your time. And then you go and write what you want to write. But just know that this story — it’s yours.”
The advice has stuck with Steph Curry through his entire career
The advice helped him through not only that moment, but many moments in his life. It’s stuck with him, and Curry returns to it periodically, when he needs the reminder. “It’s the best advice I’ve ever gotten,” Curry wrote. “And anytime I’ve needed it — anytime I’ve been snubbed, or underrated, or even flat-out disrespected — I’ve just remembered those words, and I’ve persevered.”
And boy did he persevere. Not only did Curry follow in his father’s footsteps to join the NBA, but he’s also become one of their best players. Sometimes called “the greatest point guard of all time,”
Curry has been named an NBA all-star six times, and an NBA MVP twice. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Even after he got over the disappointing loss at 13, Curry still had to fight to get to where he’s at now. College recruits overlooked him, and it almost appeared that he wouldn’t make it into any program.
“He was certainly not what you could consider an overwhelming athlete,” said Bob McKillop to The Washington Post. McKillop was his coach at Davidson College, the only school to finally accept him.
Through everything, he returns to his mother’s advice whenever he needs it. “I’ve said to myself, This is no one’s story to write but mine. It’s no one’s story but mine.”
